


Reunion

by Wallwalker



Category: Dragon Quest VIII
Genre: Community: springkink, F/M, Happy Ending, Prison, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-19
Updated: 2009-11-19
Packaged: 2017-10-03 10:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wallwalker/pseuds/Wallwalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Angelo had thought his luck had run out once and for all. But Jessica had other ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for LiveJournal's [Springkink](http://community.livejournal.com/springkink/) challenge in July of '07. I've added another part to it since then that I hadn't published before; at the time I was dealing with a deadline and didn't have time to finish it the way I'd intended to.  
> Prompt: Dragon Quest VIII, Angelo/Jessica: Unexpected reunion - "I'm sorry that I lied"

The smell bothered Angelo more than anything else, he'd decided - rank and bitter in a way that even Purgatory Island hadn't been. He supposed that it was both the greater number and the lower class of people who typically ended up in a place like this that made the difference - not that he had any right to judge anyone else's class, he'd reminded himself more than once, considering that he was there.

The dungeons were a part of Baccarat that most people never saw; few people even suspected its existence. They were the lucky ones, as far as Angelo was concerned; yes, borrowing from criminals could be useful, but not when you lost more than you could repay. It had been stupid of him, anyway. He'd thought that his system was foolproof - it had worked before, after all - and by the time he'd realized that the rules had changed, it had been too late.

How long had he been there? Almost a week... maybe a bit longer, he didn't know. They worked him to the bone in the caves, the lighting horribly dim -

"'ey, pretty man! Get yer skinny arse over 'ere!"

Angelo looked up slowly, ready to fight - damn the consequences, he didn't care. He wasn't going to be pushed around anymore, even in a place like that, surrounded by the dregs of humanity without a penny to his name. But the guard didn't seem to be inclined to come and grab him, even when he hesitated.

The brute grabbed his arm as he moved within his reach. Angelo stiffened, but the guard didn't shake him or pull at him. "C'mon, 'urry up so I can open th' gate," he said. "Yer free t' go."

Angelo looked up at him, blinking slowly. "Is this some kind of trick?"

The guard looked a bit pained. "Nope," he said, and coughed. "Yer debt's been paid, so th' boss said you could go. Better get out 'fore he changes 'is mind."

"Right," he said, nodding. He stumbled through the door in a daze, ignoring the jeers and cries of disbelief from the rest of the prisoners. The solid clang of the metal door, the one that had always made him cringe, didn't sound so bad from this side of the bars, he thought as he climbed the stairs to freedom.

The sunlight made his eyes hurt, and he blinked as he reached the top, cursing to himself. That was definitely going to be the last time he borrowed money from criminals, he told himself, at least not without some very definite form of insurance. He didn't know exactly what, but he'd have to come up with something -

"Angelo, are you all right?"

He jumped and turned, opening his eyes and doing his best to focus through the afterimages of the sun. Even with his eyes half-dazzled, though, he could still see who was speaking to him, as if he needed to see her to know who she was. "Jessica," he said slowly. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Getting you out of here," she said, and crossed her arms. He couldn't see her face very clearly, but she was very likely frowning. "You could at least say thank you."

Angelo couldn't help but laugh, knowing very well that it would just make her angrier. "I'd hoped you'd give me a bit more time," he managed, "to recover from the surprise."

"Hmph," she snorted. Still, she did seem to relax a bit. He could see her face now, and the frown was definitely fading; she seemed more sad than angry. "Fair enough. Come on, then, let's go."

"Go? Where are we going?"

"_I'm_ going to go and talk to the twins about this. I can't imagine that they willfully let criminals take advantage of their customers. In the meantime," she continued, eying him up and down in a very practical, almost motherly way, "_you_ are going to go back to the inn and have a proper bath."

That sounded quite pleasant, actually. He wasn't sure if ten baths was going to be enough to wash off the grime and the sweat that had encrusted him over the past months. But old habits died hard, and so it was impossible to resist giving her a sigh and a mocking little bow. "If I must," he said. "Are there any other commands, my Lady?"

"You could quit fooling around, for a start," she said, and shook her head. "You haven't changed."

_Neither have you,_ he thought, but kept it to himself as he fell into step beside her.

\---

The carriage, like the hotel in Baccarat, was far too fancy. Angelo just couldn't make himself comfortable while he was surrounded by so much luxury, no matter how hard he tried. He supposed that his discomfort was a holdover from the years of punishments that he'd endured, the ones that had been meant to actually make him keep his holy vows. Still, it had been very considerate of Cash and Carrie to allow them the use of one of their carriages and to send payment ahead to the port for their sea voyage, to say nothing of the free stay at their hotel. They were doing their best to make amends, and he wasn't going to complain.

Jessica looked more at ease than he felt, at least, as she stared out of the window. They'd barely spoken to each other since leaving Baccarat, though, and he could see that she was distracted. He just hadn't had it in him to start a conversation himself, to ask what was on her mind -

No, he didn't need to ask what was on her mind. It was obvious, wasn't it? "Jessica," he started, then cleared his throat and looked away.

Jessica blinked and looked over at him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Hmm?"

"Talk to me, please. I don't see why we should spend the rest of this journey in silence."

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't want to be too pushy, after what you've been through -"

"By the Goddess, Jessica, do you really believe that I can't see what you're thinking?" He snorted. "You've been wanting to give me a piece of your mind for the past two days, and to be quite honest I'd rather have a tongue-lashing than another day of the silent treatment."

She didn't answer at first; she just stared at him so hard he started to fidget. He'd never admit it to her, of course - if she asked why he was fidgeting he'd say that it was because the old uniform was chafing a bit - but he had the irritating feeling that she'd probably guess. "All right," she finally said. "What were you doing in Baccarat?"

He cleared his throat again. "I was... trying to raise some money," he said slowly. There was absolutely no good in lying; she'd know. She always had.

"For what?"

"What do you think?" He laughed bitterly. "My orphanage blew down in a storm, almost a year ago. The Church took the children away from me when they found out - the poor kids are probably sleeping at the Abbey now, waiting to vow their lives away. I couldn't let that happen, but I didn't have any money, so I came here to win it back. I'm usually pretty good at that sort of thing."

"So that you could get them back?" she asked gently.

He nodded, remembering his childhood, all of the pain and uncertainty. "Those children... I would've done anything for them, you know. They're the family I never had."

"Anything but ask us for help?"

Her gaze was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Angelo looked away. "I... didn't want to impose."

He heard her sigh, but didn't look up. He was starting to wish that he'd kept his big mouth shut. She was right - any one of them would have helped him, if he'd just asked. But what was he supposed to do? Go to his successful friends and admit that he'd failed at what he'd set out to do, and now he needed to be bailed out? He'd sworn that he wouldn't do that, that he'd make things work on his own for once. The irony of all of this was going to be the death of him.

He felt Jessica's hand on his, and jumped slightly, looking up at her face. "How many times did we trust each other with our lives, Angelo?" she asked gently.

"That was different," he said quickly, hoping that she wouldn't ask him why.

"Was it, really? I came as soon as I knew that you were in trouble - if I'd known before, I would've been here the day that the Church took those children away. There's no reason to be ashamed of having friends who want to help you."

He shook his head. She was right, he knew she was right, but really... what was he supposed to say? He was proud, maybe too proud. Or maybe it was because they'd lost touch over the months, after the wedding, and he'd... maybe he hadn't want to admit that he... Goddess, what was he even thinking?

The carriage slowly came to a stop. "Milord, Milady, we've arrived at port!" the driver shouted.

"Good," Jessica said. "Come on - the sooner we're back to Alexandria the better."

"We?" Angelo echoed. "I don't recall agreeing to this."

She smiled. "I wasn't going to take no for an answer, so I didn't ask. Seemed a waste of time."

She stepped out of the carriage. Angelo stared after her for a moment, fighting back the urge to say something in response - he felt a bit like a stray dog, for her to put on a leash and drag anywhere she liked. The fact that he didn't really have anywhere else to go, well, that was irrelevant, wasn't it?

In the end, though, he gave in to necessity and followed her out, shaking his head like a frustrated horse as they walked to the ship. It was a sturdy ship, if he was any judge - hardly on the level of the Ancient Ship they'd sailed on during that journey, but good enough.

Then he sighed and turned away, feeling somewhat ashamed and not knowing why. Goddess, why did everything have to remind him of that journey?

"Angelo?" Jessica said behind him. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, half-hoping that she wouldn't hear him. But when she came up behind him and hugged him, her body soft and warm against his back, he forgot why he'd hoped for anything of the sort, at least for the moment.

\---

Alexandria hadn't changed much from the way that Angelo remembered it. He wasn't surprised; it had the look of a place that never really changed, even thought a few of the buildings might have a new coat of paint and there might be a few new faces. Privately, he couldn't blame Jessica for wanting to run away from it at the first opportunity - no matter how he looked at her, she didn't look like she belonged there. She belonged somewhere larger, more cosmopolitan, more... well, more alive, to be perfectly honest.

Still, she seemed pleased enough to be home, although he would have liked to believe that it wasn't entirely the place, but also the company. The way she smiled when she offered him her hand to help him out of the carriage gave him some measure of hope for that, anyway. Still, he didn't accept her help - although when he almost tripped and fell as he left the place, he did almost wish that he had.

"Do you always have to be so stubborn, Angelo?" she asked him planitively as he righted himself. She didn't sound angry, or even frustrated - just rather sad, and maybe a bit disappointed.

"Haven't I accepted your help enough for one day?" he asked, unable to keep a note of shame out of his voice.

She sighed. "I hope not. Because if you throw this back in my face, I'm not going to be very happy with you."

"Throw this back in your face?" he echoed, blinking at her, taken aback. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Come on. I'm dying to show you, if you'll let me." She turned away, walking quickly down the trail. He recognized the way, even though the lingering glow of twilight was quickly fading - they were going to her old home. Her ancestral home, with all of the pomp and arrogance that it implied. He shuddered a bit as he followed her. He didn't like _ancestral_ homes. They reminded him too much of what he'd lost when he'd first been sent to the Abbey.

She didn't lead him directly to her house, though - thank the Goddess for small favors. There was a new building, one he didn't recognize, that had been built rather hastily if he was any judge. Oh, it looked sturdy enough, but the paint job on it was quite sloppy, and the grounds looked messy. If the groundkeeper at the Abbey had let things deteorate that far, he wouldn't have been groundskeeper for long; Marcello would have made sure of that...

He shook his head. Thinking about his brother at a time like this was not a very wise choice. He should focus on other things, more immediate things. "So," he asked, "why are we here, precisely?"

"For a reunion." She was grinning from ear to ear, and she said nothing else as she ran ahead to the little cottage. He had to admit one thing - the rustic building did look a bit larger than he'd first supposed, once he got a bit closer. He had just started to catch up with her as she knocked on the door.

An old man with a long grey beard answered, rubbing his whiskers absently as he opened the door. "Lady Jessica?" he said queriously as he blinked at her. "You've come back faster than you said you would."

"Yes, well, things were a bit simpler than I'd imagined they'd be," she answered, giving Angelo a sideways glance. Angelo rolled his eyes and turned away. "You can get back to the house duties now, Robert. I've found someone else to take care of things here."

"What?" Angelo asked, shocked too much to be angry, although he imagined it wouldn't last long and he'd be able to manage a tone of proper indignation. "Jessica, if you're going to put me on your family's staff, the least you could do is ask me first -"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not putting you on my family's household staff, Angelo," she snapped back. "The least _you_ could do before making assumptions is come inside and take a look!" She was glaring at him now, and really, Angelo didn't think he could do anything but glare back. It was, in a strange sort of way, a bit comforting - just like old times, really.

After a rew moments, they heard old Robert clear his throat. "Beggin' your pardon, your Ladyship, but I'd like to get back to my duties now."

"Yes, Robert, of course." She didn't look away from Angelo as she spoke, just took a step backwards. "Thank you very much for assisting me."

"My pleasure, of course, Miss. Although I'm not sure I'd volunteer to do it again," he said, chuckling. "Damn near wore my old bones out."

"Hopefully that will no longer be necessary. Is everything well?"

"Oh, right as rain. And now that I've told everyone the good news, everyone's happy -"

"Not quite," Angelo grated.

"Er. Yes. Well." Robert turned away. "I'll be going now," he said over his shoulder before hobbling back down the path as fast as he could go.

Jessica hadn't looked away once the entire time. "Are you going to go in willingly, or do I have to drag you?" she asked, with more than a hint of asperity in her proud voice.

"You at least owe me an explanation. I don't like people making decisions about my life behind my back. I had quite enough of that as a child, _thank_ you."

"Angelo..." She finally turned away. "You're right. Forgive me. I was trying to surprise you, and I'm afraid that I did it rather poorly."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Of course I'll forgive you," he said. "I owe you that much, I suppose."

"And you don't like owing anyone like that. I understand. But... I think you'll understand why I went to this trouble once you go inside."

"Well, then. No time like the present, is there?" He tried to smile - he knew it was far too flat, but he had to try it anyway. "Ladies first?"

"Not this time. I'll follow you."

"As you like."

The inside of the building was not nearly as shabby as the outside; he could smell soap everywhere, as if it had been freshly scrubbed. He was in a large common room, full of what looked like chests, all or which were shut and locked. The floors were wooden, and covered in places with rugs of jute and cotton. The place was... clean, he decided. Sterile. He wasn't sure what he thought of it.

"It's not entirely up to my standards," Jessica said behind him. "But we built it on very short notice. We were hoping that you could help us a bit with it."

"I'm not a decorator," he said automatically, looking around. There were two doors on the other side of the room, both of them slightly ajar. "Where do those doors lead?"

"Go ahead and see."

"I'm getting a bit tired of all of this mystery," he groused, but walked ahead anyway and pushed one of the doors open... and stared.

The room was full of beds, little cots that were covered with little woven blankets. And in each and every one of them, a child was sleeping. Angelo couldn't look away - he knew every one of those faces by heart. "Jessica," he whispered, not wanting to wake them, a lump rising in his throat. "How did you...?"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Steady," she said softly. "You were right - they were all at the Abbey. Some of our friends nearby told us, and I... I figured you were involved somehow. So I convinced my mother to let me go there, with enough money to persuade the new Abbot that we would be able to care for them."

"And that's why you came to Baccarat looking for me?"

"Well... of course we thought you'd be glad to have them back. And I know this place isn't much, but you'll have all the help you need to rebuild it to your standards... Mother will see to that." She laughed a bit. "I think that she's secretly hoping that having so many children in the village will make me want to settle down and start a family."

"I..." he started, then closed his mouth. What could he possibly say to something like this?

One of the little figures in the beds stirred, then opened his eyes and looked up at the door. "Mister Angelo?" he whispered.

"Armand," he said back. He remembered the boy, of course; he'd always been a terribly light sleeper. "Are you all alright?"

Armand nodded. "It was scary," he whispered. "But Miss Jessica said that she was going to find you, so that we wouldn't have to be scared anymore." He smiled sleepily. "I'm really glad she found you. That old man was no fun at all."

"Don't say that! Show some respect for your elders," he corrected automatically, but he was sure that it didn't have the proper bite to it, not when he couldn't stop smiling.

"Yes, Mister Angelo," he said. "I will."

"That's good," he said. "But we don't want to wake the others. We can all talk more in the morning, all right?"

"A'right," the boy said, yawning. "You're not gonna go away again, are you?"

"Never again, lad. Never again. Go back to sleep, all right?"

"Yes, sir," he said, and turned away. "And thank you, Miss Jessica."

She stepped past Angelo and tucked the boy's blanket over his shoulders. "You're quite welcome. But Mister Angelo needs sleep too, so I'm going to take him to his room, all right?"

"Yes'm," the sleepy boy said softly, and yawned.

The two backed out of the room quietly. "The girls are in the other room, of course" she whispered to him when they were out of earshot. "They're all here, I made sure of it -"

He didn't give her the chance to keep talking.

By the time he broke the kiss she'd already had his back against one of the far walls - he didn't know how she'd pushed him that far - and her arms tight around him. "Angelo," she whispered, her tone slightly displeased, her eyes most definitely not, "you'll wake the children."

He couldn't help but laugh. "I can't help it - I'm just glad they're here to wake," he managed before kissing her yet again. It was all too good to be true, except that it most assuredly _was_ true - he would have woken up twenty seconds ago if it had been a dream.

He supposed there was a lesson from the Goddess in this somewhere about patience, but he also supposed he could be forgiven for not seeing it immediately. He could tell that Jessica was forgiving that of him, at least, and for the moment that was more than enough.


End file.
